Superposable radiographs of lower molar areas were obtained by means of a specially designed film holder and a gnathostat maintained in a constant position with respect to long-cone radiological equipement. A quantitative evaluation of the bone mass in the interradicular area was obtained by scanning the area under a photodensitometer. A photodensitometric scan of the image of an aluminium wedge adapted to each radiograph was also performed. This allowed the transformation, with the aid of a computer, of the photodensitometric recording of bone into a tracing of mm of aluminium equivalents. The reproducibility and precision of the method were verified by comparing magnifications of repeated radiographs, by photodensitometric readings of radiographs developed in different batches and by repeated quantitative readings of the same film. The method allowed one, for instance, to follow quantitatively the healing of a radiographically visible periapical lesion. It was also used to evaluate quantitatively, in the interradicular area, bone changes which could not be seen with the marked eye.

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The study describs a standardized and reproducible photometric test method for the measurement of gingival recession surfaces. A sample of 45 teeth associated with gingival recessions was selected for testing the control method. The planimetric results suggest a high reliability of the method (p > 0.98) compared to the clinical measurements of the height and the width of the recessions with a graduated periodontal probe.